New York

12 East 22nd St, between Park and Broadway; 212.228.7557

Brother to the same-named Hamptons spot, this billiards-equipped, wood-decked resto's slinging Ameri-grub (steaks, burgers, & gravy fries) and local hops (Checker Cab, Ommegang's Rare VOS), plus "pan-Euro" fare like lamb belly, braised pork shank, and frog legs + escargot vol-au-vent, or "flying with the wind" -- a cooking style that in this case just doesn't make any f***ing sense.

100 W 82nd St, at Columbus; 212.501.0776

From the Bao 111 guy, this gorgeous Vietnamese resto's slinging SE Asian homestyle -- roasted guinea hen, ginger-glazed duck, summer rolls, rock shrimp soup, etc -- in a 162-seat, multi-room space decked in grape stalk ceilings, French philosophical tract bar decorations, and a huge barcode-esque mural sourced from 20th-century propaganda posters (BaoHouse design?).

366 Columbus Ave, at 77th Street

The long-awaited UWS outpost boasts two stories w/ 72 seats, a new "c-line" to expedite cold item purchases, all the original's burgers, plus new drinks: three vanilla and chocolate milkshakes, Abita root beer on tap, two exclusive wines developed by Marquis Philip, and one exclusive Brooklyn Brewery beer called Shackmeister Ale -- which Shaq will hopefully endorse via a YouTube challenge called "Tell me how my Shack tastes".

1004 2nd Ave, at 53rd; 212.935.3530

Offering free Monday paninis with your glass of wine, this 2nd Vero outpost one-ups its uptown predecessor w/ a full kitchen (meatballs w/ golden raisins and pine nuts, pan-roasted quail...) and double the Old and New World varietals, all selected and paired by elvishly hot and blonde in-house sommelier Storme Wood, who will fend off your inappropriate puns six nights per week.

Thurs Oct 30th at 221 W 57th St, at Broadway

Hit the 2nd annual week-long pop-up cafe for sub-$12 lunches and cooking demos from a procession of award-winning chefs including Michael Psilakis (Anthos, Mia Dona), Mario Batali (Babbo, Del Posto), and Francois Payard, who'll be signing copies of his book Chocolate Epiphany -- which is very short, because "it tastes good" only takes one page no matter how you fiddle with the margins.